


We Never Cared To Ask

by Nadja_Lee



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Age Difference, Friendship, Gen, Insecurity, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-08
Updated: 2003-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22992238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadja_Lee/pseuds/Nadja_Lee
Summary: Jonas tells the team his real age and it leaves everyone surprised.
Kudos: 14





	We Never Cared To Ask

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes: Well, I don’t really have anything to say but this; I thought especially Jack was quite mean to Jonas and I thought I would try and see if I can’t change his mind. (And yes I do love Daniel. I simply love them both. You don’t always have to choose, y’know *G*)  
> Thanks so much to Dee Dee for beta! *hugs*  
> Timeline: Season 6. After “Nightwalkers”.

**We Never Cared To Ask**

Sam entered the cafeteria on the SGC base and saw Teal’c and Jack sitting by a table, talking. Jonas, who had now been on Earth for five months and who had become the newest member of their team, was nowhere to be seen. Not that she was surprised for though Jonas and Teal’c got along great the young man seemed very nervous and insecure in Jack’s presence and she couldn’t really blame him; Jack did nothing to make anything easy for him. Jack’s friendship was hard to gain but when given it lasted forever. On the downside then he also held grudges a very long time and he still had a look of almost hate in his eyes whenever he saw Jonas, wishing him to be someone else. Wishing him to be Daniel. She missed Daniel too and wished he were with them but she felt sorry for Jonas; he tried so hard to fit in and worked so hard to please everyone, especially the Colonel who so far hadn’t seemed to melt much to the young alien at all.

Sam had just seated herself next to Jack and opposite Teal’c when Jonas came all but running into the cafeteria and sat down next to Teal’c, giving a brief hello to the others. His eyes were only on Teal’c and he was smiling though that wasn’t unusual. Jonas almost always smiled only this time the smile actually seemed genuine which rarely happened and if it did then almost always when he was speaking with Teal’c.

“I just read something amazing!” the young man’s eyes were almost glowing with excitement. Jack merely grunted disinterested and Sam smiled overbearingly as a mother to a young child.

“What is that, Jonas Quinn?” Teal’c asked, showing the slightest hint of interest but it was enough to make Jonas shine like a sun for this small hint of friendship and interest.

“Jaffa can live to be over a hundred and thirty years old, probably even older than that!” Jonas made it sound like big news and looked amazed from Jack to Sam, giving Teal’c an admiring look in between. Seeing that he wasn’t going away until he had gotten some kind of response Jack merely looked at him with a mildly irritated and annoyed look on his face.

“So?”

“Well…” as always when near Jack Jonas suddenly seemed very nervous and insecure. His excitement faded as if someone had turned off a switch. “We don’t have people that old on Kelowna.” Seeing that he was losing his audience his excitement faded away completely. “At least now I understand why they say 17 is the age of curiosity and achievement of knowledge,” Jonas mumbled as he saw his older companions didn’t seem as amazed over this news as he was.

“What do you mean?” Sam frowned, not getting his last statement.

“Nothing. It’s just something people say on my home world,” he mumbled and stared down into the table. Had he done something wrong again? It was hard to avoid when he still didn’t know all the cultural laws of this planet.

“No,” Sam shook her head. “I mean why do you now agree with the saying?”

“Oh,” he smiled a little at her. “Well, I’m 17 and since I found this fascinating and you didn’t I found the saying was…”  
”You’re WHAT?” Jack all but yelled, interrupting Jonas and making some of the other people in the cafeteria turn around and look at them.

“17 years old,” Jonas repeated nervously, trying to understand why everyone was suddenly so mad at him and why his companions were looking so strangely at him.

“But…I saw your vital information. You wrote on your application to the SGC that you were 25,” Sam couldn’t keep the disbelief out of her voice. If he was only 17…Oh, god. Had they dragged a child though all this?!

“I am 25,” seeing both Jack and Sam about to protest he hurriedly added, “in Kelownian years.”  
”So…In Earth years you’re 17 years old?” Jack wanted to know that much for a fact at least. Jonas nodded. “Yes. Why?” The latter was asked with his usual curiosity. 

“Why?!” Jack gave him a hard look that could have killed a stone and Jonas flinched, making Sam and Teal’c give Jack a hard look of their own. “What?”

“He’s just a child, Sir,” Sam mumbled to him to make Jack back off a little and not scare Jonas half to death. Strange but for a few minutes ago she wouldn’t have interfered like she had just done just like she hadn’t interfered in Jack and Jonas’ tense relationship since he had arrived, assuming that the two men could work it out themselves but a child was something else…It changed everything…Right? She suddenly felt very guilty for not having tried to make Jonas feel better about his dramatic change to Earth; child or not.

“Yeah…So how come you never told us that?” Jack eyed Jonas with an almost suspicious gleam to his eyes.

“Sorry,” Jonas looked very embarrassed over this. “After everything that had happened I did not think of converting my age to Earth years. Sorry,” he repeated.

“I cannot see how age can be an issue. Jonas Quinn has proven himself a great ally,” Teal’c spoke up though the protective edge in his voice made it clear that though Jonas was a warrior in his eyes he was also one in need of some serious protecting.

“He’s right, Sir. In a few months when he turns 18 he would legally have been able to join any branch of the Army or Navy anyway,” Sam reminded him though she was now very ashamed of having hit him when she was pretending to be a Goa'uld even if it had been necessary.

“You won’t throw me out, will you?” Jonas asked fearfully, looking from Sam to Jack and back again. “Please…I will make myself useful. I promise.”

“Cut it out, kid,” Jack shook his head at him but then a rare smile broke his stone face. “You stay.”

“Yes!” Jonas jumped up in happiness and danced around. “Thanks so much. You won’t be disappointed. I’ll start working at once,” on an energy high Jonas disappeared out of the cafeteria and Sam looked from Jonas to Jack. Was that a real smile on his lips and a hint of softness in his eyes? Sam smiled to herself. Jack had always had a soft spot for children of all ages. This revelation could be all they needed to become a real team; honouring the past but moving on all the same. No comparison, no replacement…Simply moving along the hands of time.

“How come we never knew?” Jack mumbled softly and Sam looked to the door Jonas had just disappeared through and she winced as she recalled some of the things people had put Jonas through simply because he was not Daniel, a comparison he had never wished for in the first place.

“We never cared enough to ask,” Sam said softly and Jack looked sharply at her, a hint of recognition of what she was saying and especially what she wasn’t saying in his eyes.

The End


End file.
